19-year-old Canadian cricketer Yuvraj Samra displayed brilliant batting during the ongoing match against New Zealand in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The left-handed batsman tore apart a star-studded New Zealand bowling attack at the prestigious MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday, February 17.
Yuvraj helped Canada post a total of 173/4 after electing to bat first to win the match against New Zealand. Before getting out in the last over, the young batsman scored 110 runs in 65 balls with the help of 11 fours and six sixes. Jacob Duffy was New Zealand’s most economical bowler, giving just 25 runs in his four overs.
Yuvraj Samra creates history with record breaking T20 World Cup century
Yuvraj Samra created history by scoring a brilliant century in 58 balls. The 19-year-old reached the historic feat on the final ball of the 17th over, registering his maiden T20I century and becoming Canada’s first centurion in T20 World Cup history.
Samra also became the first batsman from an associate country to score a century in the Men’s T20 World Cup. At the age of 19 years and 141 days, he became the youngest player to score more than 50 in the tournament, surpassing Junaid Siddiqui (19 years, 325 days).
His fearless strokeplay against New Zealand’s formidable bowling attack grabbed the headlines, resulting in one of the most memorable individual performances of the tournament so far.
Records broken by Yuvraj Samra in T20 World Cup 2026 vs New Zealand clash
Youngest batsman to score a century in T20 International:
| age | player | Team | rival | venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 years 280 days | gustav mackon | France | Switzerland | Wanta | 2022 |
| 19 years 30 days | Selim Salau | Nigeria | Ivory Coast | abuja | 2024 |
| 19y 141d | Yuvraj Samra | Canada | new zealand | Chennai | 2026 (today*) |
| 19y 206d | Kushal Malla | Nepal | mongolia | Paramveer | 2023 |
| 19 years 210 days | breathin pesic | serbia | slovenia | belgrade | 2025 |
| Youngest batsman to score a century in Men’s World Cup (ODI and T20) | |||
| player | age | rival | Year |
| Yuvraj Samra | 19y 141d | vs new zealand | 2026 |
| paul sterling | 19y 141d | vs neth | 2011 |
| ricky ponting | 21 years 76 days | vs WI | 1996 |
Named after Yuvraj Singh, Yuvraj Samra carved his own path
Yuvraj Samra’s cricket journey started with his name. His father Baljeet Samra named him after Indian legend Yuvraj Singh, who retired from international cricket and IPL in 2019. Baljeet praised Yuvraj’s batting and expressed hope that his son would also follow the same path.
Samra has met Yuvraj Singh twice. The first meeting took place in 2019 when Yuvraj played for the Toronto Nationals. They met again in 2025 during the Super 60 tournament. Samra loves watching Yuvraj bat but wants to create his own style rather than copy someone.
In October 2023, Samra was still playing age-group cricket. As of February 2024, he was touring with the senior Canadian team. He scored a century in his second 50 over match.
Yuvraj Singh made his debut for India at the age of 18 and scored a half-century in 12 balls in the first T20 World Cup. While Yuvraj competed at a very high level, Samra is building a promising journey of her own.
Also read: Mohammed Shami gave a big blow to Ajit Agarkar by taking 8 wickets in Ranji Trophy semi-final.
